New Study Ranks the Safest Beaches in the U.S.—Here’s Who Came Out on Top

A new study by Action Network analyzed several risk categories to uncover the safest beaches in the U.S., looking at data on over 520 different stretches of sand across the country. 

To calculate the overall risk, the analysts used a weighted scoring methodology that prioritized the different types of crimes based on relevance to frequency and beach settings. They gave theft the highest priority at 40 percent, followed by robbery at 30 percent, vehicle theft at 20 percent and burglary at 10 percent. An implied probability was then used for each beach based on the weighted scores to describe the risks at each location. 

Four Massachusetts beaches had the lowest levels of theft-related crime, but it was Cape Cod National Seashore that ranked the safest of them all. Technically, it tied for the No. 1 spot with Marconi Beach, but that beach is also part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, which stretches for about 40 miles on the Atlantic-facing eastern shore of Outer Cape Cod.

The report measured crime data, which included theft, vehicle theft, robbery and burglary/break-ins in nearby homes, per 1,000 residents, to come up with their ranking.

It just so happens that we recently highlighted one of the Cape Cod National Seashore beaches, Coast Guard Beach, in our list of the 15 best beaches in the U.S. As noted, it offers wide swathes of sand, dunes and marshland while being one of the best for summer swimming in the region. 

Marconi is another great pick, located in Wellfleet. It’s not only safe, but it also boasts soft sands, photogenic rolling dunes and spectacular views of the Atlantic, while being popular for surfing and bodyboarding. It’s historically significant too, as the site of the first transatlantic wireless communication in 1903, named for Gugliemo Marconi. The Marconi station located here even played a role in rescuing Titanic survivors following the ship’s sinking in 1912.